January 15, 2026

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟓: 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐧

You might ask, "What in the world? It's January!"

Feline reproductive cycles don't care about our calendars—much like cats don't care what time our day ends. We got our first litter a few weeks back, and we've been seeing chatter on social media about neonates and mom-and-baby intakes. Today, the cat distribution system locked onto target: our first mama with newborn babies of 2026.

And today was a terrible day for me to be on my weekend.

My assumption is this was a first-time mama who had too many kittens. One came in crashing, another soon to follow. I had to talk my second-in-command through the worst thing we do as technicians in a shelter. We will not let any cat suffer—whether they're one day old or twenty years old. My heart ached having to walk her through unspeakable things over the phone to help those poor babies who never even had a chance.

While I always get excited about kitten season, I can't help but think of everything that's to come this year. With the state of our nation, there are fewer resources, fewer people caring for abandoned cats, fewer people taking the time and money to get cats spayed and neutered. I have no idea what this year will bring, but I definitely fear it.

𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

She came to us with undiagnosed hyperthyroidism. We were told she was eleven, but we all—including our doctor—thought she was closer to twenty. She was the sweetest little girl. While working to get her thyroid under control, we did a full workup that revealed a mass in her abdomen. Cytology couldn't rule out lymphoma. I made the decision not to pursue follow-up testing. The time and cost weren't worth it at her advanced age. We knew what treatment would look like if it was cancer, so we just monitored her.

She was happy. She was eating. They called her the Trash Goblin Kitty because she was always willing to clean up someone else's unfinished bowl. It was a joy to watch her blossom into the sweet, demanding little lady she became.

Today, her respiratory pattern was labored. X-rays showed a chest that was either full of pus or mets—so "busy" it was hard to tell completely. Her abdomen was filled with air from her increased respiratory rate and effort. At her age, there was no way we were going to put her through aggressive treatment. She was spoiled with food while we waited for our doctor's go-ahead, and then she was peacefully let go.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

Those days are always tough. One is hard. Three is excruciating. I hated that I wasn't there today. I did what I could to support my team from home.

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟.

We had more adoptions today—one of those days that makes me rejoice! Kittens are easy to place. Today, we got to send a senior and two adults to their forever homes. Two kittens joined in the celebration of picking their people.

We almost never get to celebrate the good like we did the other day. It's almost always bittersweet. In the end, we always try to focus on the good.

Tonight as I go to sleep, I keep my team in my thoughts. They're the ones who had to live this hard day. My second-in-command, who just became a CVT, had a lot of firsts I wish she hadn't. She handled it like a champ, though, and I was thankful to have someone so capable there while I wasn't.